AI Kai improves mental health among psychologically distressed people

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2026-04-15 01:00

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A 'gold standard' clinical trial by Israeli and US scientists found an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot called Kai is better at reducing anxiety and improving well-being than face-to-face therapy. Kai is designed to deliver tailored psychological support through natural-sounding conversation. The team recruited 995 university students experiencing psychological distress, who were split into three roughly equally sized groups at random. The first group used Kai, the second took part in face-to-face therapy, and the third was placed on a waiting list, receiving no treatment during the trial. They found a bigger reduction in symptoms of anxiety among the group who used Kai than among the group who underwent face-to-face therapy or no treatment, and greater reductions in depression and improvements in life satisfaction than among the no treatment group. But, for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, Kai performed the same as the other two treatment options. The findings suggest Kai could be a useful addition to mental health care, the authors conclude.

News release

From: JAMA

Efficacy of a Conversational AI Agent for Psychiatric Symptoms and Digital Therapeutic Alliance

About The Study: In this randomized clinical trial of university students with psychological distress, the use of a conversational AI agent was associated with improvements in anxiety, depression, well-being, and life satisfaction, and its perceived therapeutic alliance was associated with engagement and psychological improvement. These findings suggest that conversational AI may serve as a scalable resource within mental health frameworks.

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Research JAMA, Web page The URL will go live after the embargo ends

Journal/
conference: JAMA Network Open

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Reichman University, Israel

Funder: No external financial support. Conflict of Interest Disclosures: Dr Shoshani reported receiving personal fees and holding stock options in KAI.AI Ltd outside the submittedwork. Dr Gurfinkel reported receiving personal fees from and being employed by KAI.AI Ltd outside the submitted work.

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